


Hero Worship

by Noodle_64



Category: Football RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: Crack, M/M, all the homo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2019-01-27 01:35:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12570772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noodle_64/pseuds/Noodle_64
Summary: Clint Dempsey is a widower who's trying to take care of his three kids and get on with his life. He isn't looking for anything else. But then his path crosses Christian Pulisic's and he realizes there might be more to life than he'd bargained for.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is pure and utter crack and I am aware of it. This wouldn't leave my head though so I'm writing it.

To say that Clint Dempsey was in a bad mood was an understatement. He was tired from flying in for Mens’ National Team practice and he was also tired from looking after three children on his own. His wife had died over two years ago in a car accident in Seattle and though other people (of both sexes) had expressed interest in him, Clint was resolute. His jobs were soccer, and raising his kids. Nothing else.

His friends didn’t agree with him. Tim Howard, his long time friend and goal keeper for the USMNT had tried to set him up several times but stopped when Clint had to file a restraining against the last person he’d had dinner with. It was insanity, and the type that Clint didn’t need.  
The sour mood he was carrying didn’t get any better when he found out they were getting a new player. Not just any new player but a young kid, 18 years old and eager to do his part for the National Team. He would probably be an overexcited puppy and the forward just didn’t have the energy to deal with that.

He zoned out a little during the stretching exercises, only getting up once Tim wacked him in the back of the head but once they started getting some touches in, he was feeling a little better.

Taking the ball out toward the center of the field, he was surprised when someone zipped right around him and took the ball away. Intrigued, Clint gave chase. The someone was a good half a foot shorter than Clint was himself and when he passed the ball over to Graham Zusi, Clint got a good look at his face.

This had to be the kid everyone was talking about. Clint hadn’t bothered to pay enough attention to get his name and figured an introduction wouldn’t come amiss.

“Nice steal.” He offered and the kid grinned.

“Thanks, Deuce.”

Obviously the kid knew who he was and Clint couldn’t help his chest puffing out a little bit, even though he knew damn well he was too old for that shit.  


“What’s you’re name?” He asked, holding out a hand to shake.

“Christian. Christian Pulisic.” His hand was shaken with a good, firm grip and Clint nodded.

“Nice to meet you, Christian. Now see if you can keep up.”

Raising both eyebrows at him, Clint took off to get an incoming ball that Tim had kicked out. Christian was good and he was starting to see why he’d been called up to their team. He was a fast little shit and also had some pretty impressive field vision as well. In a few years he was going to be a hell of a player.

“He’s good.” Tim commented as they went into the locker room once practice was over and Clint nodded.

“He is. There’s a few things to work on but I can see why they want him up with us. Give him two or three years and I’ll be riding the bench!”

“Like you don’t already.” Tim joked and Clint rolled his eyes, giving his friend a shove.

“Just for that, I hope they sub in Rimando.”

Tim shook his head. “You just need to admit your man crush on Rimando already. Every time the Sounders play Real Salt Lake all I hear about is Rimando.”

“He’s a good goaly.” Clint shot back, shrugging his shirt over his head. “I figured since he’s your alternate, you should know how he’s doing.”

Clint knew that Tim was aware he had no designs of any romantic sort on Nick Rimando but that kind of banter kept people from trying to push him into something he didn’t want. Nick himself was also in on it, making sure to hug Clint just a few seconds too long every time they played each other. People were speculating and that suited Clint fine.

“Just don’t move to Salt Lake.” Tim continued before yelping when Clint snapped him on the back with a towel. DeAndre Yedlin and Bobby Wood were snickering while Tim scowled at Clint. “Asshole.” He grumbled.

“You’ve known me long enough.” Clint shrugged before sounds of what appeared to be a fight hit his ears and he immediately hustled over to see what was going on. Inter team fighting was never good and he wanted to know what the hell was going on. Even though Michael Bradley was the official captain of the team, he often relied on Clint to help him keep things going since the Texan had been captain himself in 2014 during the World Cup.

Michael was already there, breaking up the combatants. One of them was Christian, the new kid and the other was Jozy Altidore. Clint had a bit of a love-hate relationship with Jozy. When he was good, he was good but if something didn’t go his way, he wouldn’t commit and nothing drove Clint crazier than that.

“What happened?” Michael asked and Christian scowled.

“He was trying to hit on me and I told him to go fuck himself. He didn’t like that.”

Clint tried not to laugh, but judging from the looks on everyone’s faces his fake cough didn’t cover anything up. Michael didn’t look pleased and judging from the expression  
currently taking over Jozy’s face, he was getting their captain’s “laser glare of doom”.

“Do anything like that again to a team mate and I will break your legs myself.” Michael hissed. “You want to date someone, fine, but actually try getting to know them and take them out instead of acting like a moron.”

Heading for the showers, Clint couldn’t help but laugh. Christian was a pistol and Jozy had bitten off more than he could chew there. 

\--

As Clint left the room, Tim Howard noticed the way that Christian Pulisic’s eyes followed his friend and he looked toward Bobby and DeAndre. “Are you guys thinking what I’m thinking?” He asked in a low voice as he sat down near them, pretending to be fighting with the laces on his shoes.

“I’m thinking Deuce is going to kill us.” Bobby snorted but he also wasn’t denying that he would help.

“Christian wants him.” DeAndre added. “He’s got a picture of Deuce as his lock screen on his phone. I looked when he was asleep because he didn’t want to show me.”

It appeared their little golden boy had a thing about their forward and in Tim’s mind, Clint needed to stop shoving people away just because he’d lost someone. He knew it was hard, given that Clint had lost his sister Jennifer when he was 12 and then losing his wife a couple years ago had set him back a lot. He didn’t smile as much, didn’t have the jokes and wacky celebration dances that he used to. He seemed resigned to his life and not really living it.

That was a shame and Tim was going to do whatever it took to see something good in his friend’s life. Even if that meant incurring Clint’s wrath.

“How can we get this to happen?” Tim inquired.

“We can make sure they sit together as much as possible during team dinners. Maybe we can even mess with the seating arrangements on our flights.” Bobby said and Tim was impressed. The flights especially would give them a chance to talk.

“We can also get Deuce’s parents in on it too. I know they’d like to see him get out a little more.” DeAndre said practically. “I met them when they were visiting Clint in Seattle and I was there working with him during a bye. They’re nice people.”

Tim knew the Dempseys well and Deandre was right. They would want to see their son happy again.

“Okay guys. Other part of the plan is, keep Jozy from fucking it all up.” Tim muttered.

Bobby rolled his eyes before nodding. “Got it. Operation Call Clint Daddy is underway.”

Tim almost choked and DeAndre made a face like he’d bitten into a lemon. Bobby was probably right though, the little jerk.

“Please never say that again.” Tim begged and Bobby just shrugged. Tim was going to have to keep a close eye on Bobby Wood. He was devious and Tim always needed people to help in shenanigans.

Clint emerged from the showers with a towel wrapped around his waist and the look on Christian’s face made Tim both want to laugh and shudder in horror. He’d never seen his  
friend in that light but apparently Christian did and liked what he saw.

“Told you he wants him.” DeAndre murmured.

He hadn’t been kidding and Tim wondered if a more direct route might be better. Clint would be pissed if people went behind his back. But if he gave Christian information and let the kid act on it himself, then he technically wouldn’t be doing anything. Technically.

Getting to his feet, Tim seated himself beside Christian, who looked a little startled.

“Clint likes music.” He said without preamble and Christian’s face went red.

“I…uh…why are you telling me this?”

“Because I know about your lock screen and the look on your face when he just walked by tells me very clearly you want a piece of Daddy Texas.”

Christian looked like he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him and Tim patted his shoulder.

“I’m here to help you out. I’ve known Clint for years and he needs to get out more. So I’m going to give you all of the Clint knowledge I possess, which is yours to do with as you see fit.”

There was a pause before Christian spoke again. “What kind of music?”

“Rap. The more underground the better. He can be a bit of a hipster about that.”

“So people who play small clubs, local people, stuff like that?” Christian asked, sounding like he was preparing for a dangerous mission.

“Exactly. Do some Googling, find some concerts, get him to go to one with you. If you want, you can always pretend that DeAndre or Bobby was going to go with you but they can’t. They know.”

Christian sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Does everybody know?” He asked plaintively.

“No. Just us three and we’ll keep it that way.” Tim nodded before getting to his feet. “Also, Clint is not a morning person and ever since he moved to Seattle, he’s obsessed with Starbucks. Have a cup of their Colombian for him tomorrow morning. Trust me.”

Whistling a merry tune, Tim headed for the showers himself. It was up to Christian now what happened and he was more than a little curious to see what was going to happen.


	2. Rapper's Delight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Christian has to do is invite Clint to a concert. Easy, right?

Music. That was the help that Tim Howard had given him and Christian was going to do his best to follow up on it. There was only one problem with this: pretty much every single show Christian looked into was for 21 and over. He was 18. There was no way in hell he was going to be able to do this.

Letting his head fall into his pillow with a groan, he merely flipped off DeAndre when he asked what was going on. He was pretty sure it was his roommate who had ratted him out as to the lock screen on his phone.

“Hey. C’mon. Tell me what’s going on.” DeAndre cajoled, tapping Christian on the back.

Rolling over, Christian sighed. “I’m too young.” He said, clearly disgruntled. “Every show I want to try and take Clint to is for 21 and over. They’d never let me in the door.”

DeAndre nodded thoughtfully for a moment. “You know what, let me see if I can get ahold of Clint’s phone. See if he’s got any music on there. I know he’s a rap guy but there’s got to be other stuff he likes.”

That was actually a solid plan and Christian was impressed. “Okay.” He agreed. “Just…be subtle about it.”

DeAndre saluted with a smirk but by the end of the day, Christian knew that Clint also liked classic rock and surprisingly, Latin music. But given that the forward had grown up in Texas, Christian supposed he shouldn’t have been all that surprised.

Looking at what was available, Christian narrowed down his choices to a free show being given by a Cuban band and then a fairly inexpensive show at the county fair with the band Cheap Trick. He texted his choices to Tim, who answered back that Cheap Trick was the safest bet.

Christian bought tickets, sweating as he did so. DeAndre was his foul-mouthed cheerleader, but it made him laugh. Now he just had to ask Clint to go with him.

He suspected that the seating arrangements at team dinner had undergone some shuffling. Jozy Altidore was about as far away from him as it was possible to get and Clint was right beside him. He had to take his shot at this.

“Hey Clint?” He asked, reminding himself not to stare when the forward actually looked at him.

“Yeah?”

“I have tickets to a concert. DeAndre was supposed to go with me but it’s not really his genre and I thought I might see if you’d want to come along instead.”

“Who’s playing?” The older man asked warily.

“Cheap Trick. They’re at the county fair.”

“Cheap Trick?! No way! Hell yeah I wanna go!”

Tim gave Christian a discreet thumbs up and the young man was glad he’d checked with Tim before getting the tickets.

“We’ll have to leave in about 2 hours for the show.”

“Well it’s a fair, right? Gotta go have an elephant ear or something before hand.”

Christian bit his lip. “I’ve never actually had an elephant ear before.”

Clint looked at him like he was speaking Greek. “Oh that’s not right. C’mon Christian, we’re fixing that. Now.”

The forward tugged at his sleeve and Christian went along willingly. He had no idea what an elephant ear was, but he had the feeling that he was about to find out. He had no problem with that whatsoever.

\--

Never had an elephant ear? Clint was scandalized. Growing up as a kid, he and his siblings hadn’t been to a lot of county or state fairs but he still remembered elephant ears and all of the other fair food that was full of fat and other shit guaranteed to be horrible for you.

Still, this was Christian’s first time going to a county fair so they were going to do the food.

He was buying, brushing aside the young man’s protests. It was the least he could do since Christian had picked up the tickets so he could deal with it.

It was fun seeing the county fair through Christian’s eyes. Clint had taken his kids a few times to the state fair in Puyallup but they were still too small for a lot of the rides. Here though, with Christian, they could do whatever they wanted.

They rode a few rides, played some of the rigged carnival games and had their elephant ear. Clint thought Christian’s eyes were going to pop right out of his head when he saw how big it was. “That’s why you share.” He commented, handing Christian a fork.

The elephant ear was demolished, with Clint letting Christian have the larger piece. He could always get another one on their way out after the show.

All thoughts of elephant ears were abandoned once they reached the show. Clint was glad he’d gotten some cash from an onsite ATM because they had some pretty awesome shirts. He got one for his dad (who was also a Cheap Trick fan), one for himself and one for Christian since he’d invited him to this. The young man’s face was pretty red but he accepted the gift readily, which made Clint happy. He liked to do things for other people when he could.

All of the songs the band played were ones that he knew and he had the sneaking suspicion that Christian had gotten some video of him singing along to “I Want You To Want Me”. Clint had grown up with that song and this band so he didn’t care too much.

“Send that to Howard and you’re toast.” He mock threatened, wagging a finger at Christian when he saw him putting his phone away.

“I won’t! Promise.”

“Good, because I know where to find you.”

Christian laughed like it was the funniest joke he’d ever heard and Clint couldn’t help feeling a little bit smug. If nothing else, he was pretty sure that Christian liked him a little better than Jozy Altidore.

“How’d you hear about this?” Clint asked as they were leaving the seating area after the encore.

“Google.” Came the quick retort and the forward shook his head.

“You kids and your Google.” He mock sighed. “I’m an old geezer.”

“You are _not_ old.” Christian insisted. “Just well seasoned.”

“Well seasoned? You’re making me sound like a steak.”

“Steak is awesome.”

Who was Clint to argue with that logic? They split another elephant ear between them before leaving the fair and during the cab ride back, the older man had time to think.

When was the last time he’d actually had this much fun? Probably not since before his wife passed away. He hadn’t thought about anything except the music and the company.

He was a little ashamed at the way he’d thought of Christian before getting to know him. He was a good kid, nice to be around and not at all fawning all over him the way he’d been expecting. He could see himself definitely being friends with Christian and looked forward to getting to know him better.

“Thanks for inviting me to that, Christian. I haven’t had that much fun in a long time.” Clint said honestly.

Christian beamed and that made the forward all the more glad he’d said yes to going. “Thanks for coming with me. I really didn’t want to go alone.”

“Well you tell DeAndre that he missed a good show.”

“I will. Thanks again Clint.” Christian reached out, giving him a very manly bro hug, complete with a light slap on the back before heading off to his room.

Clint went in the opposite direction to his own room and his phone buzzed.

He groaned: it was Tim “I Scent Romance In Everything” Howard.

**_Did you have fun?_ **

_I did, yeah. Christian is a nice kid and Cheap Trick are really good live._

**_I’m glad you went. It’s about time you got out more._ **

Clint knew his friend was right but he also didn’t want to admit it.

_I’m glad I went too. It was a good night, complete with elephant ears._

**_You’re going to need about 50 laps to work that off tomorrow, Deuce._ **

_Yes mother. Shut up and go to sleep._

After checking his message to make sure that all was well with his kids (who were staying with his parents for a little while), Clint got ready for bed and went to sleep with a smile on his face for the first time in over two years.


	3. Goooooooal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint's kids enter the mix.

Tim could sense a change in the air the next morning at the team breakfast. Clint was talking animatedly about the concert, his hands waving a lot. It was nice to see his friend actually _excited_ about something and the keeper was glad that Christian had decided to take matters into his young hands and act on it.

It was a first hurdle but the secret to winning the heart of Clint Dempsey was time. Tim had known Clint for years and he wasn’t the type to rush into a decision. He just hoped that Christian would be able to stay the course and be patient.

“Nice going.” Tim commented, sliding into the chair next to Christian. Clint was on the young man’s other side, of course. Bobby’s idea about making sure they sat together seemed to be paying off. Christian didn’t seem to be as awestruck sitting next to Clint now.

“DeAndre looked at Clint’s phone to see what other music he liked.” Christian murmured, keeping his voice low so the forward wouldn’t be able to hear. “Since there was a bunch of classic rock, I figured Cheap Trick would be safe.”

So there was more than one sneak on the National Team. At this rate, Tim would be able to build himself an army and he rather liked the idea of being the general.

“You figured right. Have a good time?”

“Yeah.” Christian lit up and Tim wanted to shake his head. This kid was goofy about Clint and he hoped that his friend would take a hint and move on with his life. “We went on some rides before the show and shared a couple elephant ears. I’d never had one before!”

“They’re pretty tasty.” Tim agreed, taking a sip of his orange juice before he noticed something. Both Clint and Christian were wearing Cheap Trick shirts. They weren’t matching, but it was so sickeningly adorable that he wondered if he was going to have to keep a trash can handy to barf in.

“Nice shirt.” He commented and Christian’s face went a little bit red.

“Clint got it for me.”

That shirt would be worn into rags before Christian got rid of it. Tim knew that instinctively and whatever Deuce might claim, it said a lot that he would do that for Christian.

DeAndre and Bobby were looking amused and Tim was well aware that Clint and Christian were well on their way to becoming the worst kept secret on the National Team. But their forward could be stubborn as hell so Tim wasn’t going to meddle too much.

Clint’s phone buzzed and he checked it, letting out a whoop.

“My folks are bringing the kids!” He said gleefully and Tim took the opportunity to lean forward and give Christian another Clint Tip.

“His kids mean everything to him. If you can get in good with his kids, that will also help you out.”

Christian nodded slightly, letting Tim know that he had heard but otherwise, he didn’t give any other outward signs that a conversation had taken place. He was sneaky and Tim was pretty sure that between the two of them (with help from DeAndre and Bobby), they could ensure that Christian got his forward.

Clint was already showing the others pictures on his phone, turning to show Christian as well. The Dempsey kids were adorable, as Tim knew from first hand experience. Clint insisted on good manners so Jackson, Sophia and Elyse were very polite and sweet children.

“His son sure looks like him.” Christian commented, turning his attention to his waffle.

“He does. Acts like him too.” Tim snorted. “Clint’s going to have his hands full when Jack is a teenager!”

“Don’t even remind me.” Clint groaned, rubbing his chin. “He’s already got a little attitude on him.”

“Kettle, this is pot, do you copy?” Tim shot back, jokingly using Christian as a shield so Clint wouldn’t smack him.

“Take it like a man, Howard!” The forward snorted, trying to reach around.

“Since when?” Christian said slyly, making Clint crack up and Tim emit a sound of mock outrage.

“Damn Howard, Christian’s got your number already.”

Tim tried to stare him down but Christian just looked meek and nonthreatening. He really was going to have to watch his back with this kid. But in the best sense possible.

“Alright, alright, you can kick my ass at practice later Deuce.” The keeper answered, picking up his fork when the pancakes made it to the table.

\--

There were a lot of cute things that Christian Pulisic had seen in his life. Stuffed animals, baby animals, cat videos, etc. But there was, in his humble opinion, nothing cuter than Clint Dempsey with three excited kids climbing all over him.

“Okay you guys, come on!” Clint laughed, trying to get them to calm down a little bit. They were still twitching with suppressed energy but the stood clustered near their father, the youngest with her hand holding onto Clint’s thumb.

“You’ll get to be stepfather.” DeAndre muttered, almost making Christian choke.

“DeAndre!” He hissed, giving his roommate a shove. He didn’t want jokes like that to circulate and worse still, he didn’t want Clint to overhear that.

Waggling his eyebrows, DeAndre took off and Christian was about to follow when he heard a small voice say “Hi!”

Looking down to his left, he saw the other little girl. She was clutching a stuffed soccer ball and Christian smiled, crouching down to talk to her.

“Hi, I’m Christian. What’s your name?”

“Sophia.” She answered, hugging the ball a little tighter.

“Nice to meet you, Sophia.” He said gently. “That’s a pretty awesome ball you got there.”

“Daddy gave it to me!” The girl obviously thought the world of her dad and Christian had to fight not to laugh.

“Dads give pretty cool presents. My dad gave me my first ball when I was seven.” He explained and Sophia listened intently to him.

“Soph! Don’t bother Christian!” Clint called and Christian turned toward him.

“She’s fine Clint, honest. Right Sophia?”

“Right!” She chirped and Christian couldn’t help laughing.

Her attention was diverted by the guys taking some shots on the goal and Christian stood up, offering her his hand. “Want to go see if you can get a ball in?” He asked.

“Yeah!” She cheered, taking his hand. He guided her over to the net and pretty soon most of the other players were gathered around, giving her tips. She actually could get the ball pretty far and soon, one rolled into the goal (thanks to Tim dramatically diving for it just a bit too late).

“Yeah Sophia!” They cheered and Clint came bounding over.

“You did it, Pumpkin!” He crowed, picking her up in his arms and hugging her close. “That’s my girl!”

Little Elyse toddled over to him and Christian had her sitting on his knee. She was content to watch things for the most part and he made sure to keep her out of the way of any stray balls that went flying. The last thing he wanted was for her to get hurt on his watch.

\--

Clint always welcomed the chance to see his kids and appreciated his parents dropping them off at the practice field for the afternoon. As much as he was glad that he was able to support them, playing soccer also meant a lot of time away from home and them.

Jackson was glued to his side as he usually was, but Sophia seemed to have taken a shine to Christian and he appreciated the kind way the young man was dealing with her. Moreover, he seemed to be genuinely having a good time.

There was a lot more to him than met the eye and he was practical enough to know that something was shifting, sliding into place there. He was going to have to see exactly what that was going to mean.

When she scored her “goal” (he was going to have to thank Tim for that later), he made sure to go over and celebrate it with her. What surprised him was the fact that his little clinger, Elyse, also made a beeline for Christian. Elyse tended to not want to let Clint out of her sight and it had been like that for a long time. Yet here she was, willingly going and sitting with a stranger that she didn’t know.

Christian was good with kids, it seemed.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice Tim sidling up to him.

“Looks like your girls like Wonder Boy.”

“Who wouldn’t? He’s nice.” Clint shrugged.

Tim gave him an appraising look and Clint didn’t flinch from it. That would set Tim off more than anything and the forward was aware of it. He was pretty sure he wasn’t fooling Tim much anyways but he had to try.

“They’re growing up well. You’re going a good job, Clint.”

“I just wish Beth was here to see them.” He sighed, looking out into the distance for a moment. She wasn’t, and he had to continue to do his best.

“You’re doing everything you can. Just don’t burn yourself out, okay?”

“I know.” They had this discussion every so often and he was trying to listen to it. Maybe he needed to do more things like he had with Christian. Go to concerts or other things he enjoyed. Most of his team mates on the Sounders would gladly babysit and perhaps it was time to expand his horizons a little bit.

There was a shriek of laughter from behind them and both he and Tim turned to find his kids tickling the daylights out of Christian, who was curled up in a ball, trying to protect himself.

“C’mon guys, behave.” Clint chided gently, coming over to shoo them back. He reached down, offering Christian a hand up and when the young man took it, it almost felt like he’d just come home.

What was going on here?

 


	4. Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to the arcade takes an unexpected turn.

All though the team dinner, Clint was a bit distracted. He needed to think, to figure out what was going on where Christian was concerned. He enjoyed being around him and knew he wanted to keep spending time with him.

It was normal, right? Team mate stuff. Experienced player to the new guy.

But it didn’t feel like that. He knew what it was like, having been the young one on the squad back in 2006.

Christian was quiet beside him, as though sensing that he wanted to think. Clint was going to take his kids out to an arcade later and figured not thinking about it would be good.

A few of the guys were going to a club and as they waved them on, Christian sighed.

“Time to decide what tv show I’m watching tonight.” He joked as he got up from the table.

Clint’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean? Aren’t you going out too?”

“Too young.” Christian reminded him. “I’m 18 and that means I can’t get into any club. Not even the ones in Canada!”

The forward hadn’t been thinking about that at all. He didn’t even remember Christian’s age most of the time and he wondered if there was something he could do. Christian looked dejected to be spending an evening on his own and Clint decided to make an impromptu offer.

“If you can handle shrieking midgets, you’re welcome to come with us to the arcade.”

Christian paused as he got up from the table. He was clearly debating it.

“You don’t get a lot of time with your kids…”

Laughing, Clint shook his head. “Hey. If you come with us, I can pawn one or two of ‘em off on you. There’s a method to my madness, Christian.”

“Pawn away then.” Christian shrugged, turning to face Clint. “I don’t have anything else to do tonight.”

“You might regret this.” Clint warned as he reached into his pocket to let his parents know he was ready to take the kids off their hands.

“Your kids are adorable and I don’t mind being around you.”

Clint’s fingers paused in their texting and he shot a side glance at Christian. It looked like he was blushing a little and there was a nervous lump now in Clint’s throat. Well shit. This might be a little more serious than he’d been anticipating but somehow he didn’t mind.

“I don’t mind being around you either, Christian.” Clint said quietly as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. Christian might as well know that up front.

Before either of them could say anything, Jackson came running over, followed closely by Sophia and Elyse, who each grabbed one of Christian’s hands.

“To the arcade!” Clint declared, leading the way out of the restaurant, oblivious to the telling look that passed between his parents when they saw who was going to be helping Clint with their grandchildren that night.

\--

Children were exhausting. Christian had heard that a lot from people who had kids of their own but he hadn’t really spent enough time around them to know for himself. Clint’s kids were all high octane, much like their father and it made Christian wonder how on earth Clint was able to do this on his own.

He knew that Clint’s wife had died in a car accident a couple years ago but other than that, he didn’t know much and he didn’t want to pry. Christian had never suffered a huge tragedy in his life and knew, as did every other soccer fan, Clint had gone through losing someone he loved twice.

Which made it that much better to see him laughing and having a good time with his kids off the football field. Clint could be intense, very focused and putting everything he had into the game.

Right now, he had Jackson on his lap and was trying to help him navigate the race car game with limited success. “You’re not shifting right!” He called and Clint gave him a mock scowl while the kids laughed.

“You do it then, Hot Shot.” Clint retorted, shifting Jackson over so Christian could take his place.

“Is it okay if I help you, Jackson?” Christian asked. The boy eyed him for a moment before nodding and Christian heaved a silent sigh of relief. It seemed all three Dempsey kids liked him and he was glad of that, given what Tim had told him earlier in the day.

He slipped into the place Clint had been sitting and Jackson slipped onto his lap, holding the steering wheel. “You turn, I’ll shift.” He told the boy and Jackson nodded.

It took them a minute to get it coordinated but they managed to win the race in the end. “Christian plays better than you, Dad!” Jackson said gleefully as he slipped off to go and try his luck with a Claw Machine.

“You don’t need to sound so happy about that, Jackson!” Clint called after his son and Christian couldn’t help laughing, even when that got him a playful glare.

“Everybody’s against me tonight.” The forward sighed and Christian decided that if he was going to go for it, he was going to go all in.

“Poor Clint.” He said, trying to keep a straight face. He hooked both of his arms around Clint’s torso and hugged him, intending to let go. He was shocked when Clint suddenly put an arm around him as well and Christian stayed stock still, wondering what to do.

Before either of them could say anything, Sophia came wandering over. “Daddy, are you gonna kiss Christian?” She asked curiously.

The young man could feel his face heating up and he didn’t even want to know what kind of look Clint had on his face.

“Do you think I should?” Clint asked and Christian felt his jaw drop slightly.

“Yes. He’s nice.” Sophia pronounced.

“I’ll think about it. Go play with Jackson.”

As she wandered away, Christian remained where he was, his mind reeling. Warm, calloused fingers gripped his chin lightly and tilted his head up where Clint’s amused gaze was waiting. At least he didn’t look mad or disgusted.

“What do you think, Christian? Should I kiss you?”

Unable to answer verbally, all he could do was nod. Clint seemed to be still thinking about it but Christian could tell when he’d made up his mind. All he had time to do was draw a breath in before Clint’s lips were on his. Christian wasn’t sure how it happened but by the time Clint leaned back, he’d managed to plaster himself against him.

Blushing furiously, Christian went to let go of him but Clint still held on. “We’ll talk in the morning. Early before Howard and his Snoop Squad are up.”

Christian had to laugh at the name and nodded before finally being able to speak. “Okay.”

Letting go of him, Clint sauntered over to see what the kids were up to and Christian could feel his eyes following every move that the older man made.

This was going to be a long night.


	5. Stop and Drop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things take a turn.

Tim Howard was never someone who liked to go out too much. Clubs weren't his deal and neither was dealing with drunk idiots. He had opted to stay at the hotel with a good book and read. However, he did like to people watch so he kept his curtains open.

That was how he was able to witness the singular sight unfolding in front of him. A cab pulled up to the curb and the doors opened, admitting Clint, Jackson, Sophia, Elyse...and Christian.

Setting his book down, Tim crept over to the window. Christian had gone with them to the arcade? That was certainly an interesting development.

Clint's parents came out to meet them and Tim wished he could hear the conversation going on but that was impossible. His jaw dropped, however, when the kids were ushered inside but Clint and Christian remained where they were. As soon as the kids were out of sight, Clint was kissing Christian and by the way Christian was wrapping himself around the older man, he clearly didn't mind this development at all.

He wrinkled his nose and drew the curtains. It was none of his business and he really didn't want to go to sleep with the mental image of his best friend kissing someone in his head.

Still, he was happy. Happy that Clint was actually doing something about this. Tim had figured it would be at least a year before Deuce decided to even take poor Christian on a date.

Tim turned the light out and went to sleep, unaware of what was going to happen in the morning.

\--

Clint was an early riser, up with the sun on most days. He had to be, in order to get Jackson off to school and the girls to daycare before he went to the practice field. He was sleeping better these days but old habits died hard. Besides, he was going to talk to Christian anyway.

He waited outside by the curb where he'd told Christian to meet him the night before. The memory of both kisses made him smile in a way that would've gotten him teased by Tim (as well as the rest of the National Team). He didn't care though. What was done was done.

"Hey."

He turned as soon as he heard Christian's voice behind him, smiling. The young man looked a little nervous and Clint wanted to ease his nerves. He reached out, taking Christian's hand in his own, pulling him in a little closer.

"Hey yourself."

Christian allowed himself to be pulled closer, settling his head against Clint's shoulder. "You wanted to talk?"

"Mostly just figure out what's going to happen from here. You're overseas and I'm here in the US."

Clint wasn't wanting to not pursue this, just figure out logistics of it all.

"My contract is coming up soon and I think I'll come back to the States." Christian said finally.

Clint's eyebrows went up. He had played for the Premiere League himself and knew that people would be questioning the sanity of Christian's decision.

"Are you sure about that? I'm willing to do whatever it takes to see you."

"Yes. I want to be home. I can see my parents more too."

"Okay then. I guess you'll be a US player again. I can't see you not getting picked up by a team." Clint said.

A loud whistle from behind them made him groan and they turned to see Bobby Wood, grinning with his phone up.

"Smile!" He declared and snapped a quick picture before running off.

"Don't send that to Tim!" Clint hollered after him.

"I saw you too kissing last night." Came Tim's voice from the balcony.

"Peeping Tim." Clint retorted. His friend just laughed at him and Christian's face was bright red.

"I'll get him for that later." He promised before releasing Christian. "We'd better go eat and get some extra practice in."

It was technically an off day for all of them but Clint liked to get a little exercise in at least and was glad that Christian seemed to share his opinion on this.

He felt okay for the first little bit but it was getting hard to breathe and he had to sit down for a moment. He wasn't sure if it was the sun or what, but the world slid sideways and the last thing he was concious of was Christian screaming his name.

\--

Christian had been in a hospital before but never under circumstances like this. Clint had fainted and they weren't able to get him to respond to anything. Tim had called 911 and the two of them rode in the ambulance with Clint to the hospital.

The forward was as white as a sheet, lips a sickly blue color. Christian didn't know what was wrong, since he wasn't family. The doctors had been in the room with Clint's parents for a little while now. Bobby and DeAndre were looking after the kids unti they knew what was going on and they could explain why Daddy was sick.

He was startled to find that he was shaking a little bit. Delayed shock or something similar.

A jacket was draped over his shoulders and Christian looked up. There was a man standing there who reminded him a bit of Clint in the face.

"I'm Ryan. Ryan Dempsey." The man supplied. "Clint's older brother."

That explained why there was a family resemblance then. "I'm Christian."

"I know. Mom and Dad said you were here." Ryan said simply, seating himself in the hard plastic chair beside him. "Were you there when it happened?"

Christian nodded dumbly before starting to speak. "He seemed okay and then told us he needed a minute. He sat down and then he just...fell over. I tried to get him to answer me but he wouldn't. Tim called 911 and the paramedics couldn't get him to answer either. Then they loaded him and took him here. We came with him."

Tears suddenly pricked his eyes. He had no idea what was going to happen with Clint. It he would be okay or if he was going to die. He had never experience this before and he was terrified.

He felt even worse for Clint's parents. They had already lost one of their children. Were they going to lose another? He hoped not and hoped that the doctors would be able to figure out what was going on.

The door to Clint's room opened and Ryan stood up as soon as his parents came out. "What's the word?" He asked.

"His heart isn't beating regularly." Aubrey Dempsey answered, rubbing his forehead. "Right now he's okay but they want to run some tests, see if they can figure out what's going on."

"But he's okay for right now?" Ryan pressed and his father nodded.

"For the moment. He can have visitors but not for very long."

Ryan nudged Christian toward the door. "Go ahead. I'll wait my turn."

Christian wasn't sure if he should but before he knew it, Clint's mother was ushering him inside.

Seeing Clint lying there, tubes and needles coming out of him was almost worse than wondering. He looked so small and the tears that had been hiding behind Christian's eyes spilled over.

"He'll be okay honey." Clint's mother said comfortingly, gently shoving him over to the bed. All Christian could do was reach out, wrapping his small hand around Clint's. There was a lump in his throat and he couldn't talk. He wasn't sure if he believed in God or not but he still silently prayed that Clint would be okay. For his family's sake.


	6. Waking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint has two visitors.

There was a constant beeping in Clint's ears and it was annoying. It also felt like there was something stuffed up his nose and he lifted a hand to try and dislodge whatever it was.

"You gotta leave it, bro."

Was that Ryan? Where was he and what in the hell was going on?

His eyes were still closed and was finally able to get them open, even though there seemed to be thousand pound weights on the lids.

Ryan was hovering over him, a worried expression on his face and that was the first inkling Clint had that there was something grave going on. His oldest sibling was a joker about 99.99 percent of the time.

"You've been out for a couple days, Clinty." Ryan said softly.

A couple days?

"Wha...what happened?"

His throat felt like the fucking Sahara and his lips were sticking together. Ryan held out a cup of water with a straw and Clint was able to drink some of it before waving it away.

"Something's up with your heart." Ryan wasn't one to mince words and Clint froze at what his brother was telling him.

His heart? Was he going to need surgery? Would he have to give up his career altogether? He had enough money saved to be able to live pretty comfortable for a long while, even with caring for three children but it wasn't enough for the rest of his life. He would need to figure out something else if this was going to derail his soccer playing.

Ryan seemed to sense that his mind was racing and went on. "They've run a couple of tests and so far, they can't find any leakage issues. The blood is flowing to the right places and there's no blockages that they can see. There's more things they need to check for."

He paused and Clint wondered if something else was coming. "It could be months before you're cleared to play again, bro."

Months? He had games with both the Sounders and the National Team coming up. He couldn't afford to be sidelined right now but he was also pragmatic to know that there was no way to rush doctors. Plus both of the teams he played for were going to want to be absolutely certain he was in good health before they even let him back out on the pitch again.

Clint heaved a sigh and Ryan patted his shoulder. "I know." He said simply. "But you gotta do what they tell you, Clinty."

Making a face, Clint weakly shoved at his brother's arm. It was a well known fact in the Dempsey family that only Clint's mother could get away with still calling him "Clinty'. His older sister Crystal and younger brother Colton called him "Lint" as their way to poke a bit of fun at him.

Two things occurred to him and he said them both as questions. "Kids? Christian?"

"The kids are with Mom and Dad and about half of the National Team. Christian is out in the hallway. You scared the shit out of him when you passed out like that. He hasn't left since he got here."

Clint winced before nodding in acknowledgement of his brother's words.

Patting his head, Ryan exited the room and Clint waited, perking up a bit when Christian came in. He looked liked he'd been crying at some point and even though there was no way he could've prevented it, Clint couldn't help feeling terrible, knowing that Christian had probably been crying over him.

"Hey." He said softly, motioning to the chair beside the bed.

Christian slipped into it immediately and when Clint curled his fingers around the younger man's, he could feel that they were trembling.

"I'm sorry I scared you."

"You didn't do it, Clint. Your heart got off kilter."

Christian was obviously in the loop and Clint wondered if his family had kept him updated on his condition or if Tim or one of the others on the National Team had. Either way, it appeared that they were looking out for Christian as well, despite the newness of the situation between them.

"Ry said it could be months before I can play again."

"That's what your Mom said this morning. But if there's anybody who can get back out there, it's you."

Clint couldn't help smiling a little. People believed in him but there was something about the simple confidence Christian had in him that made his mood feel a little lighter than it had before. He let his thumb brush over the back of Christian's hand and the trembling stopped completely.

"I bet I look like a hot mess." He joked and Christian hesitated. Clint could tell he was trying to be tactful but there was no way around it.

"A little." He confessed, which made him laugh.

Christian seemed to be staring at him and Clint's brow furrowed. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No. It's just...when you passed out at the pitch, you wouldn't wake up again. I was calling your name over and over while Tim was on the phone with 911. Your face was so white. You've got some color now and...I'm just glad you're awake again."

His voice sounded a little thick and Clint gently tugged on his hand. "C'mere." He murmured.

Christian moved willingly onto the hospital bed beside Clint, being careful of all the tubes and wires that were attached to him in various places. Clint wrapped his arm around him, both of them oblivious to someone peeking in the door.

\--

To say the last couple of days had been hard was an understatement. Tim and the rest of the members of the National Team were exhausted, both from helping take care of Clint's kids, who were understandably upset as well as worry about what was going to happen with their team mate.

They knew the bare bones. Clint's heartbeat was irregular, which could mean any number of things and he was going to have to undergo all kinds of tests in order to figure out what was going on. Tim knew Clint was going to hate every minute of it but at least he would have his family, as well as Christian there.

The young man hadn't left the hospital since getting there and had to be coaxed to sleep, take a shower and eat. He wanted to be near Clint and his family had embraced Christian with open arms since it was obvious he cared about Clint so much.

Tim had wanted to see for himself how his friend was doing and just intended on peeking in to see if he was awake. Christian was already there and Clint had a clearly protective arm wrapped around him. He was awake and looking better than he had when they'd brought him in, which the keeper was happy to see.

Letting the door slip closed, Tim retreated down the hallway. DeAndre and Bobby were waiting anxiously.

"He's awake. Christian's with him."

Their tense postures eased and Bobby sighed.

"They said Deuce could be gone for months with all these tests. What are we going to do?"

"We're going to kick ass in his name until he's back." Tim said firmly and DeAndre nodded.

"And if we don't, I have a feeling Christian is going to." He added.

"They're cuddled up. It's gross and adorable all at the same time."

"You're just jealous." Bobby teased and Tim wrinkled his nose.

"I don't roll that way but if Clint is happy, the kids are okay with it and Christian is good, then whatever."

Tim wasn't naive enough to think that the rest of the world would be so kind when it was public knowledge. People could be ugly online and there were bound to be more than a few people who would have something to say about it. But if the National Team rallied around them, they could at least be a little bit of a buffer while Clint recovered and hopefully got his heart situation sorted out.

All they could do now was wait and see.


	7. Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint wonders if things will work and consults a friend.

It had been over a month since Clint had fainted at National Team practice and the team of doctors looking after him were no closer to figuring out what the fuck was wrong with him. Every test so far had come back negative. He'd had a Echocardiogram, an Electrocardiogram, an MRI, a CT Scan and today, he was going to be outfitted with a something called a Holter monitor. He was going to have to wear the damn thing for three days. Once the results from that test came back, if they were as inconclusive as the previous ones, then they would move on to a stress test.

Clint was going out of his mind. He was worried about his standing on the National Team and the Sounders, even though he had been assured several times by both organizations that he could come back once he was cleared.

What if he never was cleared? What if this was it? There were so many additional things he had wanted to accomplish but he might have to accept that this was the end and be okay with that.

There were other ways he could still be involved in the game that he loved so dearly. There were high school and even college teams that would probably jump at the chance to have him as an adviser or assistant coach. But he wanted it to come as a merit of his skills and not because people felt sorry for him or just wanted to attach his name to their team.

He had a lot to sift and weight.

Plus there was the issue of being so far away from Christian. They spoke often but Clint could tell that the distance was starting to take a toll on him. He was still bent on coming to a team in the US and not signing an extension with his club but Clint knew his agent was going to do everything that he could to talk him out of that decision.

Maybe it was better if he let him go. Maybe this was the universe's way of telling him that this just wasn't meant to happen.

He knew that Tim would kick his ass if he even approached the subject and there was only one other person that could keep their mouth shut and not announce his business to everyone.

He'd been getting grouchy lately so his family had been trying to give him some space and he used that to his advantage as he picked up his cell phone, selecting the right contact and pressing the green call button.

It rang once before he heard a familiar voice.

"Clint! How are you?"

"Hey Stefan." He said, smiling faintly. Stefan Frei, keeper for the Sounders, was a quiet man but always had good advice and was willing to listen to anyone. "I...need to bend your ear a little."

"Talk." Stefan said simply and Clint settled back on his hospital bed.

"I don't know how much you've heard about what's happened."

"I know, from Nico, that something is affecting your heartbeat and you have a boyfriend."

Clint blinked. "Uh, I don't know about the boyfriend part but there is someone I'm interested in. We...didn't really have much of a chance to do a lot before I keeled over. He's overseas and he's young. I'm not worried that he'll cheat or anything like that but I can tell that all of this is really worrying him and taking a toll. I'm just wondering..."

His words trailed off and Stefan finished it for him. "You wonder if he might not be better off focusing on his own career and not worrying so much about you."

"Yeah." Clint sighed, rubbing his chin. He hadn't been shaving much lately so he was sporting a rather impressive beard. It wasn't anywhere near Tim Howard's, but it was respectable.

Stefan was quiet for a moment but Clint waited. He knew the Swiss was turning things over in his mind and would speak when he felt so moved.

"I think to turn him away now would only make things worse. He might think that you are spurning him because your condition has gotten worse and you're trying to spare him." The keeper pointed out.

Clint hadn't considered that and he was glad that he had spoken with Stefan.

"Try to talk to him face to face, even if that's through Skype instead of calls or texts. If he can see for himself that you're alright, it might help."

Again, something he hadn't considered.

"If all else fails, be honest with him. Ask him what he thinks might help. Anything involving someone else is a two way street. I think with your history, you know what it is like to be truly hurt and you want to spare him that. But he has chosen to stand by you. So let him stand."

He had forgotten how observant Stefan was and how close his advice could cut to the bone. But he was glad that he had called and asked for Stefan's advice.

"I will. Thanks, Stefan."

"You're welcome, Clint. Take care and please keep me updated."

Promising that he would, Clint ended the call before texting his brother. He needed a computer. Next, he texted Bobby Wood to find out if Christian was on Skype.

\--

Christian's day had been long. Between practice and checking his phone to see if he'd had any word from Clint, he was exhausted. The people around him were concerned but his only concern was for the man he was coming to care about more than anything.

As soon as he opened his computer, his Skype chirped at him. He had a contact request.

Brow furrowed, he let out a whoop when he saw the handle and the picture of a man with three kids. It was Clint.

Immediately accepting, he wondered if Clint would still be on but that question was answered when Clint "called" him. He accepted it and was soon looking at the slightly disgruntled face of Clint Dempsey.

"Hey." The Texan said, worry lines on his face smoothing out a little bit.

"Hey yourself. How are you?"

Clint sighed. "No word yet. All the tests are coming back negative, which is good in a way. Nothing major is wrong but if they can't nail this...I might be out of soccer for good. I hate not knowing for sure what's happening to me."

Usually in his texts Clint tried to be a little more upbeat but Christian appreciated the fact that he was being let in a little more.

"You have to take it as it comes. As much as that sucks ass sometimes." Christian said, trying to bring a touch of levity to the situation.

That made Clint laugh quietly. "You kiss your mama with that mouth?"

"I wish I could be kissing you with it," Christian shot back and it looked like Clint was almost going to reach out and touch the screen for a moment, but stopped himself.

"That makes two of us, Wonder Boy. But at least your club is doing well."

"We are, which is why they're really trying to get me to stay overseas and sign the extension."

Clint was quiet for a moment, which made Christian a little nervous. "I've wondered if that might not be best for you." The older man confessed and Christian's heart dropped. Was this Clint breaking up with him?

He went on and Christian had to force himself to really listen. "But that's your choice. I guess...losing my sister and then my wife taught me what it was to really be hurt. Like, hurt to the point of not being able to breathe and wondering how in the fuck I was supposed to go on living."

His eyes caught Christian's and it was like the young man was trapped in their gaze. "I don't want to do that to you, Christian. If something happened to me and I hurt you like that, I don't know that I could forgive myself for that. You...you mean a lot to me. So if I seem like I'm acting weird sometimes, I'm trying to allow you your choice. Whatever that is."

Christian was both exasperated and touched by Clint's declaration. "You're stuck with me, idiot." He said firmly but his mouth was twitching like he was going to break into a smile at any second. Clint cared. The fact that he'd been thinking about this proved that and Christian was aware enough to know that. "You'd better do some research and find me a team to go to."

"Well if I can't play again, maybe the Sounders would want you." Clint joked but that was an actual very real possibility. If he couldn't play, his club would probably jump at the chance to get Christian. "You can score goals in my honor."

"You say that like I don't already do that."

Clint gaped at him for a moment and Christian felt proud of himself for being the one to make someone speechless for once.

"Really?" He said finally and Christian nodded.

"You're the reason for my season."

The older man groaned at the cheesy phrase but he looked a little happier and Christian was glad they'd gotten to talk like this, face to face (so to speak). Glancing over at the clock, Christian's brow furrowed.

"What time is it there?"

"Late. Or early, depending on your point of view." Clint said, a touch sheepishly.

"Go to sleep, Clint. We can do this on the weekend so I can stay up and you can talk at a reasonable hour."

"Yes dear." The Texan sighed, causing Christian to blush a little bit. "Sleep well."

"You too."

Clint touched his hand to his lips before reaching out and touching the screen. Christian did the same and then the call ended.

Flopping back onto his bed, he inhaled. He felt a lot better, having seen Clint with his own eyes. No matter what happened, he wasn't going anywhere.


	8. Surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two people, two surprises.

The stress test was the tipping point. It seemed that the doctors finally had a direction to go in and they were finally able to bring back a diagnosis: atrial fibrillation. It was a fancy term that meant the upper two chambers of his heart didn't beat in time with the bottom two chambers, which produced the shortness of breath and rapid heartbeat that had caused him to pass out during his practice.

The good news was, the doctors were confident that they could fix the issue. But that meant he was going to have to undergo surgery and Clint was going to miss the entire season with the Sounders. He had been hesitant to tell them but he knew he needed to be honest and keep them in the loop. The players had rallied around him and he was promised that he wasn't going anywhere. The Sounders would be there when he was ready to come back.

Next was telling Christian. He had wanted to come back right away but Clint made him promise he would see the rest of his season through. He was going to be spending time healing up and his family would be there.

But laying around was driving him absolutely crazy. He wasn't the kind of man who enjoyed lazing around or being inactive. Still, knowing that there was a light at the end of the tunnel and this wasn't going to be the end of his career made things a little easier for Clint to bear.

He reached over, picking up the remote from where he had set it the night before on the small coffee table in his living room. The Food Network was getting boring and he could only watch so many shows about extra terrestrials on the History Channel before he was ready to roll his eyes right out of his head.

While he was debating the merits of _NCIS_ or _MASH_ reruns, the doorbell rang.

Clint wasn't expecting anyone and sat up slowly. The bell rang again and he got up to go and answer it. Maybe it was another package of books from Bobby or Tim. The pair of them had teamed up to keep him in enough reading material for even the fastest reader.

However, when he got the door open, he let out a whoop of joy before reaching out to pull a beaming Christian Pulisic into his arms. "You jerk! Why didn't you tell me you were coming?!" He demanded, stepping back to allow the younger man entry to his home.

"I wanted to surprise you." Christian chirped, clearly pleased with himself for managing to pull this over on Clint. He had brought a large suitcase with him, which indicated to Clint that he was planning to stay for a little while. He liked the thought of that and couldn't keep a smile back as he closed the door behind his clearly excited...

What were they, exactly? They spoke to each other every day and Clint was pretty sure he was crazy about him and Christian was crazy about him in return. People were clearly referring to them as "boyfriends" but they'd never had a chance to go on a proper date before his heart had gone berserk.

"I like your place." Christian commented, looking around at everything. It was simple, but welcoming and Clint appreciated the comment. He tried to keep his space inviting because he wanted everyone close to him, friends, family and visitors to feel like they had a place in the Dempsey household. He had changed some things around after the death of his wife and it was a space that reflected Clint himself.

"Thanks. I tried my best." He joked, waiting for Christian to let go of his suitcase before he swept him into a tight hug. "I'm really glad you came." He murmured and Christian nestled himself close, arms locked around Clint's torso, like he was afraid that something or someone was going to try and tear him away.

"I wanted to see you." Christian said simply. He made things sound so easy and Clint wondered how he was able to do that. He was always turning things over in his head, quick to see obstacles while Christian just focused on the important parts. Maybe there was a way for them to strike a happy medium together.

"It makes things easier and there's something I wanted to ask you."

"Yeah?" Christian tilted his head and Clint was able to look right down into his eyes. It was too easy to get lost and he had to remind himself that he wanted to talk for a moment.

"I just wanted to know what you consider us. I haven't exactly been able to take you out or anything but clearly we like each other since you keep telling me how much you want to kiss me."

Christian rolled his eyes and smacked his side softly but Clint could tell he was smiling a little.

"You're my man. Boyfriend sounds too grade school and partners is down the road, I think. So if anyone asks, I'll tell them that I have a man and I adore him."

He could live with that. Leaning down to kiss Christian, a thought occurred to him. He could make a surprise of his own.

\--

Christian was glad he had decided to come and visit Clint in Seattle. He wasn't used to the Pacific Northwest but the scenery was beautiful and it allowed him more insight into the man he was happy to call his. With that sorted out, he actually felt like maybe Clint really was his now.

The man in question had been a bit secretive, making a couple of phone calls that he clearly didn't want Christian to hear which only made him all the more curious. What was going on?

He got his answer around 5 when Nico Lodeiro showed up to take Clint's kids for the evening. He had never met Nico and could understand why Clint liked him so much when he spoke with him a little. The childen had been happy to see him and were willing enough to go with "Uncle Nico" as Jackson called him.

"You hungry?" Clint asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"I could eat." Christian answered, trying to figure out what was going on.

Clint leaned over and kissed the top of his head from where he was looming behind the couch. "You get cozy and I'll cook something. You've had a long day."

That was something Christian could deal with and after making a noise of acknowledgement, he slept through a couple episodes of _Chopped_ before he felt Clint's hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him awake.

"Damn, I'm sorry." He yawned but Clint brushed it aside.

"C'mon. Dinner's ready."

Christian wanted to laugh but also launch himself at his man when he saw the table. Clint had gone through the effort of putting an actual tablecloth on the table (which had clearly been folded up for a long time) and there were even some candles burning. But what really made him laugh were the two steaks, one on each plate. Clearly Clint hadn't forgotten his statement the night of the Cheap Trick concert about steak being awesome. There was a baked potato and a little side salad that had probably come from a bag but Christian wasn't concerned about that. Clint had tried to do something special for his first night in Seattle and he appreciated that more than he probably even knew how to express.

"You're amazing." He sighed, contenting himself with a hug before he sat down to eat. Clint had often bragged about Texas grilling skills and he was able to confirm that indeed, Clint possessed said skills in abundance. He wasn't sure he'd ever had a steak this good before.

It was nice to have the time for something like this finally. They talked about many things, some relating to soccer and some not. What was important was the fact that they were together and able to just enjoy being in each other's company.

Christian offered to rinse the dishes for the dishwasher and Clint got the table cleared. They worked well together in tandem, sometimes teasing each other, like Christian flicking water at Clint or Clint winding a towel up and popping Christian on the leg with it.

They got it all done finally and Christian realized he wasn't sure where he was sleeping. He asked and watched in amusement as a slight reddish tinge colored Clint's face.

"I haven't cleaned up the guest room in a long time so...you can just stay with me?"

He sounded a little uncertain and Christian just nodded like it was no big deal. "Sounds okay to me."

His heart was pounding as he got ready for bed, though. Did Clint snore? What side of the bed was he going to sleep on?

Padding out in a t-shirt and pajama pants, he stared for a moment when he realized that Clint wasn't going to wear a shirt to sleep. He was going to have to restrain himself even though it would be difficult. Clint slipped right into the middle of the bed and pulled the covers back, a clear indication for Christian to join him.

The younger man took a deep breath before climbing in. It took them a moment to get settled but once Christian was on his right side with Clint's arm draped around his waist and chest pressed to his back, he wondered why he had been freaking out about this. Being near Clint was just...right. It was where he was supposed to be.

Placing his hand on Clint's arm, Christian drifted off to sleep.


	9. Sleeping In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lazy morning.

Clint wasn't a natural morning person and always enjoyed sleeping in when he got the chance to do so. Especially when he was warm and cozy. The weather was getting colder in the Pacific Northwest and he was going to enjoy basking in the added body heat of Christian. It had been a long time since he'd curled up with someone like this. They were still in the same basic position they had been in when they'd gone to sleep, his arm wound snugly around Christian's waist. There was a hand on his arm and as he contemplated getting up, he could feel Christian's fingers lightly stroking his wrist.

"Morning." Clint murmured, his voice rough as it always was before he got moving.

"Hey." Christian answered just as quietly. He moved and Clint went to pull his arm back but all the younger man had done was roll over so he could snuggle his face into Clint's shoulder. Clearly, they weren't going to be getting up just yet and Clint was very much okay with that state of affairs.

"You sleep okay?" Came a mumble from the area of his shoulder and it made Clint want to laugh a little, but he didn't.

"I did. How about you?" He asked, returning his arm to where it had been.

"Mmm hmm." Christian hummed and Clint wondered if he was going to fall asleep again. Jet lag could take a lot out of a person and if he needed to let his house guest be lazy today, he could do that. Nico usually kept the kids until well into the afternoon when he took them so they had some time to themselves.

He let his head bow slightly, nestling his nose in Christian's hair and was rewarded with a squeeze. It was going to be hard to let go of him when it was time but Clint wasn't going to contemplate that at the present.

"Just going to stay here all the time." Christian said and that finally made Clint laugh.

"That wouldn't work. You know Bobby and DeAndre would come here to drag you away for National Team practice."

It was the truth and they were both aware of it, given Christian's disgruntled noise at his statement. With him still out, the team was definitely going to need Christian for their upcoming friendlies as well as matches that would help them qualify for the World Cup.

They would have to separate at some point. He wasn't sure if Christian had been able to find a team interested in him or if he would perhaps try to opt for a one year extension to his contract. Clint wasn't going to pester and pry. Christian had a good head on his shoulders and he also had a good agent. Hopefully whatever decision he made, it would be good for him and good for his career. That was really all he wanted for him. To have a good life and be able to do what he wanted.

Somehow, that seemed to involve him to a large degree which never failed to boggle Clint's mind.

"When did you know you liked me?" He asked.

Christian was still before answering. "I've had a crush on you since I was 14." He confessed.

"What?! Really?"

Clint sat up, wanting to see Christian's face. The younger man tried to pull him back down but Clint was resolute. There was information he wanted and he wasn't going to be distracted from it.

"Really." Christian said finally, sitting up as well. His face was bright red and Clint leaned over to kiss his cheek before continuing with his line of questioning.

"So for four years you were crushing on me."

Christian rolled his eyes, huffing softly. "Yes, yes. Don't get smug about it."

Clint wrapped an arm around his shoulders and he thawed slightly.

"I was nervous to meet you." Christian went on, as though he just wanted to get it over with. "I'd really only seen you on the pitch and I knew you could be intense sometimes. That's what I was waiting for. But then I met you and...you were great. You were even more than I'd been expecting."

Now Clint was the one who was a little red. He had come from humble beginnings and had done his best to work hard and take every opportunity that came his way. That was partly why he had been able to ascend the way he had. He had talent, yes, but he also just worked his ass off to make the most of everything he was given.

"I thought you were going to follow me around like a puppy." Clint confessed, earning himself a light smack on the arm. "But then I got to talking to you, and got to see you play and I knew you were special immediately. You weren't like anybody else. Then we went to the concert and I realized I just really liked to be around you."

"I was dying a thousand deaths when I asked you. DeAndre wasn't really going to go with me." Christian mumbled.

All of that had been for him, even from the beginning?

"So you got tickets to something, just so you could ask me to it?" Clint knew he sounded amused but he wasn't laughing at Christian. He was more impressed that the other had gone through so much trouble just to spend time with him.

"Yeah." Christian sounded bashful, his head leaning against Clint's shoulder. "But I was glad that I did. It was nice to see you having fun and enjoying something. I was happy to know I'd put a smile on your face."

"You've put more than one on this face." Clint commented and Christian hooked both arms around him. They stayed like that until they heard the sound of the front door opening and shrieks of "DADDY!" rang through the house.

"Time to get up." Clint sighed and Christian released him, heading for the closed door.

\--

Christian was only a little bit sorry that the kids were back. He had been enjoying the ability to spend time wrapped up in and with Clint but the real world was always there and the kids were a large part of Clint's world. He adored those children, as well as the man raising them and he hoped that he could at least help shoulder the load a little bit.

Sophia made a straight line to him, hugging him tightly.

"Did you have a good time?" He asked and she nodded, bouncing in place.

"She always has fun." Nico Lodeiro laughed, making sure that Elyse was safely inside before closing the front door. "If you give this one a paper and crayons, she will make funny pictures."

"She made one for me. I have it in my apartment in Dortmund." Christian said fondly. It was a stick person playing soccer and he'd been impressed that his uniform was the right colors. He suspected Clint's involvement in that but it had been very sweet.

"Hey guys." Clint said from behind him and Christian half turned as all three Dempsey children ran to greet their father. He had pulled a Sounder's shirt on and knelt to get his long arms around all of them. "Did you behave for Uncle Nico?"

They protested that they had and Nico added his own assurance, taking the time to hug all of them good bye, even Christian himself. "I think I will be seeing more of you, hmm?" The Honduran joked before taking his leave of them.

"Can we go to the park, Dad?" Jackson pleaded, hanging onto Clint's hand.

"After lunch." Clint decided. "Christian and I need to get cleaned up but after that, we can go."

He knew Clint would still have to take it easy but he could play with them and hopefully run them a little ragged.

Satisfied with that, Jackson made his way out into the backyard with his sisters and Clint turned toward him.

"You don't mind, do you?"

He sounded faintly worried and Christian snorted, coming over and hugging his man close. Clint always put an arm around him right away, which Christian appreciated.

"They're adorable little boogers and I like them. I really don't mind spending time with them. They're important to you, so they're important to me too."

It was an inappropriate time to remember DeAndre's wisecrack about being a stepfather but Christian kept himself from laughing or otherwise losing it. He might tell Clint about that later. Meaning possibly never.

Clint was about to say something but then Jackson's voice could be heard chanting.

"Daddy and Christian sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Groaning, Clint sighed but Christian was cracking up.

"Don't encourage him." The older man said wryly, releasing him.

"He's a funny kid. Besides, we can always get them back later and kiss in front of them." Christian shrugged.

"I like the way you think. We can really give him something to complain about."

Clint was clearly one of those people who took an unholy delight in trolling their children and Christian was quite happy to aid and abet this enterprise. The kids were going to learn today, as the saying went.


	10. At The Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids play with their new playmate and Clint talks to Tim.

After they'd both gotten cleaned up, Clint and Christian prepared to take Clint's children to the park. Christian stood by and watched their routine, laughing at Clint's attempts to get them all ready. They had their raincoats, boots and knitted hats before Clint himself got a jacket on. In solidarity with the kids, Christian also put on a hat. It was a Sounders stocking cap, which seemed to amuse Clint to no end. He gave the older man a light shove before taking Sophia and Elyse's hands so they could all make it out to the car.

Clint drove a station wagon and Christian teased him immediately for having an "old man" car. Jackson gleefully joined in until Clint threatened to both have them sit on the naughty step together. Christian had the feeling he was going to be paying for this later but couldn't resist a chance to tease Clint a little.

The park was quiet, which Christian was grateful for. There was no one there to ask questions or pry into things. He was pretty private and he knew Clint was the same. At some point, people were going to figure out that they were together and while he was in no way ashamed to have people know he was dating Clint, Christian knew the sports world could be particularly unkind to people who were different. Their National Team friends were supportive but not everyone would be.

Clint seated himself on a bench and Christian organized the kids into a rousing game of Hide and Seek, which Jackson won the first time. They seemed to be providing Clint with entertainment and Christian was glad to see him able to enjoy their antics, even though he couldn't take part in them at the moment.

He finally had to call a time out, heading over to get a water bottle from Clint. "Tired?" He asked knowingly and Christian rolled his eyes.

"Just need a little hydration and then I'll be good."

"I think we could use my kids for conditioning drills for the National Team." Clint commented fondly, watching Jackson help Elyse get her hat back on her head.

"We'd all be a lot fitter if we did that." Christian laughed, putting the cap on the water bottle and setting it down beside Clint. Before he could pull away, Clint had reached out and held onto his wrist.

"Thanks for all of this." He said softly, leaning up and kissing him slowly.

From behind them, Christian was dimly aware of the sounds of Jackson pretending to gag and Sophia shrieking "EWWWW!" but he couldn't bring himself to care too much. The kids were just going to have to deal with it.

\--

Clint couldn't resist the chance to scandalize his children a little bit and his plan had obviously worked. Releasing Christian, he winked and settled in to watch a new game of tag get started. He hated not being able to play with his kids and appreciated the way that Christian just stepped in and got involved with them. His children were important and it made something in his chest warm to see them being loved and appreciated by someone else.

His phone buzzed and he pulled it out. He had an incoming FaceTime call from Tim.

"Hey!" He said once he'd answered it.

"Hey Deuce. Where are you?" Tim asked, clearly puzzled.

"At the park." He answered, turning the phone around so Tim could see what was going on.

"Ooooh, he's good with your kiiiiids..." Tim teased.

"Yeah, my man is good with them." Clint answered, knowing that Tim was going to get his meaning right away.

"So it's official?!? Fucking finally." Tim sighed and Clint gave him an affronted look.

"Hey, we both had a lot going on, okay? But we talked and got things sorted out for the most part."

"The most part?" Tim raised an eyebrow, clearly wanting some answers.

"We're still not sure what his season is going to look like next year. He's going to talk to some teams here in the States and there's a possibility he might do a one year only extension with Dortmund if he can't get picked up by an MLS team." Clint explained.

Tim nodded, obviously thinking it over himself. "Sounds like you guys have a pretty clear direction."

Clint couldn't help a smile, which immediately made Tim groan. "Yeah, we do." He said simply.

"Oh my god. You're in gooey eyed, sickening, mushy love with him." Tim declared dramatically, pretending to hide his face.

"Don't even give me that shit, Howard. I know you send your wife roses on the anniversary of the day you met her. She told me."

Tim was silent for a moment. "Dammit." He said finally, shaking his head. "Can't trust your partner with anything."

"And yet, we put up with them anyway." Clint shot back, making his friend laugh.

"That we do." Tim agreed. "Just wanted to check in with you."

"I appreciate it, man. I'll talk to you soon."

Ending the call and tucking his phone into his pocket, he was seize upon by his children and Christian. "Daddy, can we go get ice cream?" Sophia asked hopefully.

"I don't know, pumpkin. You guys just had lunch a little while ago." Clint sighed, patting her head lightly.

All three of the children pouted and when he looked at Christian for backup, the younger man was pouting too and he looked too damn adorable for Clint's peace of mind.

"Fine." He sighed and the kids cheered, starting to head toward the car.

"I'll make it worth your while later." Christian murmured and Clint just chuckled.

"Don't threaten me with a good time, Wonder Boy." He cautioned, catching Christian's hand in his own to pull him along. He had some plans to make good on now.


	11. Making Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint has a plan and needs help to execute it.

With ice cream in hand, Clint drove carefully home. Christian was in the back with the kids, making sure nobody spilled on the seats and he was glad of that. That was half the battle when it came to taking his kids out for ice cream and he appreciated the extra help that Christian so ably provided.

They worked well as a team on the football pitch and it was interesting to him to see just how well they worked as a unit while off the field. He really didn't have to explain much about how he ran his household or dealt with the kids. Christian just seemed to know and was able to follow his lead, especially when it came to things like Elyse's little meltdown over the ice cream shop not having her favorite. Christian had stayed with Jackson and Sophia while he took Elyse outside to calm down and when he came back in, everyone acted like nothing had happened.

Clint tried to be reasonable with his kids. They weren't going to be little angels all the time, but he also didn't see the need to be harsh or hit them, His own parents had never really done that. He could count two occasions in his entire life when his mother had given him a swat on the behind but looking back on it as an adult, he'd truly had it coming because he was being horrible.

Jackson tended to spend time on the naughty step but his son could have a bit of a temper and sitting him down outside with no one in his face helped him calm down a lot quicker. Once that had happened, Clint went outside and they would have a man to man talk. Right after Beth had died, Jackson would be out there at least two or three times a day and Clint had wondered what in the fuck he was doing wrong.

Now was a different story though. Jackson had needed some time. They all had. Adjusting to a brand new normal was never the easiest proposition, even under the best of circumstances and losing his wife had definitely not been that.

Life rolled on. Things changed. His life was proof of that in many ways and as he glanced in the rearview mirror, Clint was once again struck with just how damned grateful he was he had met Christian Pulisic. Things were looking up for him in a lot of ways and if this surgery proved to be the answer, he could be back on the Sounders next year. It sounded like a thousand years away but he was willing to wait it out and do what he needed to do.

Parking the station wagon in the driveway, everyone piled out. The kids circled around to eat their ice cream cones in the backyard, which had become Clint's rule. That way if someone dripped, it was free fertilizer for the grass and food for the worms.

"Is Elyse okay?" Christian asked, coming to stand beside him as he watched the kids from the back window.

"She is. She's just starting to learn that the world isn't fair." Clint explained, wrapping Christian into a one armed embrace.

"That's never an easy lesson." Christian commented softly. "It's one you've had to learn more than once."

"Yeah." Clint agreed, heaving a quiet sigh. He felt a pair of lips against his jaw and smiled faintly. He knew he was never going to be too sad for long with Christian around.

Finished with their ice cream, the kids came trooping back inside and Clint helped them get their hands and faces washed. Jackson helped with Elyse and it made Clint's heart feel like it was going to grow three sizes. His little boy was growing up and trying to help with his sister. He had good kids and just hoped that he wouldn't mess them up somehow.

He got them all settled with their items of choice: Elyse was playing with her stuffed bear, Sophia was making more drawings for Christian and Jackson was on the couch, reading some of his favorite books aloud for the others to hear.

It was time to make a phone call.

Away from any prying eyes and ears, Clint dialed Jordan Morris.

"Deuce! Hey!" Jordan greeted happily.

"Heya JMo. I have a favor I need to ask."

"Anything, man."

Clint snorted. "Just wait until you hear what I want first. I need you and possibly someone else to take the kids for the weekend and I mean -all- weekend."

Jordan whistled. "All weekend? Got some big plans?"

"I might." Clint said, trying to sound blase.

"If this has anything to do with your current house guest, I will be nice and help a brother get some."

Smacking his forehead with his palm, Clint was pretty sure Nico was running his mouth again. "Let me guess. You heard from Nico?"

"I don't call him "Loose Lips Lodeiro" for nothing!" Jordan laughed. "He said Christian Pulisic is staying with you and you've got the hots for each other. Well. He didn't exactly say that but he did say "They are meant to be one". You know how Nico is."

"Boy do I." Clint snickered. He adored his team mates, he really did but they all had their quirks and some of them were amusing to him.

"If I need backup I'm pretty sure Stef and Jen would take one or two of them." Jordan went on. "So have fun, but not too much fun. You don't want to end up at your doctor trying to explain that the sex got too heated!"

"Oh my god. Stop right now." Clint groaned. He was going to inquire with his doctor's office and see what he was going to be able to get away with. Images of having to go to the ER and tell them what had happened were swirling in his head and though funny, he was also more than a little bit nervous now. Dammit Jordan.

"Okay, okay, I'm teasing you. But seriously Deuce, congrats. It's nice to hear you sounding happier." Jordan said sincerely.

That was one more person on their side and Clint was glad of that.

"Thanks, J. I'll let you know what time to collect the little monsters on Friday."

Hanging up, Clint next retrieved the number for his doctor and after waiting on hold for a few minutes, then stuttering his way through what he wanted to ask, he got the answer. That particular physical activity should be within his limits, as long as he didn't try to be Superman.

Slightly jazzed now, Clint crept out into the living room, just smirking when Christian gave him an inquiring look.

Friday couldn't come fast enough.


	12. The Weekend Pt. I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids are gone for the weekend and Clint gets to put his plans into action.

Clint was up to something. Christian could feel it in his bones and no amount of asking, pleading or pouting was getting him anywhere. All Clint would tell him was that he was going to find out on Friday and that was that. Naturally, Christian was all the more intrigued but Clint was resolute and not going to tell him a damned thing.

His man's patience could be maddening and Christian was aware that his own impatience could be used again him in any manner of ways. He needed to cultivate a better poker face, for one.

He had the feeling it wasn't going to matter overly much, however. Clint was able to read him with embarrassing ease and no matter what he tried, he wasn't going to be able to hide anything. He might as well embrace it and do whatever he could to make things more difficult for Clint.

Whenever the children weren't looking. Christian got a bit more bold with how he touched Clint. He would grope his ass every time he walked by the long suffering Texan and also wasn't above kissing Clint's neck, an area which he discovered on accident but intended to make good use of anyway.

Friday morning, Christian knew he was in for it. There was a heat in Clint's eyes that made him gulp, but not in a bad way. Jordan Morris came by and collected the kids, promising to have them back on Sunday and it was then that Christian realized the full extent of Clint's plans. They were going to have the entire weekend to themselves. This had taken some serious planning and he couldn't help but feel a bit mushy about the man in question.

He had been staring at the book he'd been reading for a few minutes without realizing it and jumped slightly when he felt Clint's breath against his ear. "Think I can convince you to put that book down, sweetheart?"

Oh dear God. Christian was about ready to do anything Clint asked if he was going to sound like that. There was a husky timbre to Clint's voice now and all Christian could do was make a strangled noise of agreement, practically flinging the book onto the table.

"You've been a little tease and had your fun the last few days. Now it's my turn."

He was definitely in for it but wasn't going to flinch in the slightest from any of this.

Getting up from the sofa, he yelped when Clint gently but firmly pinned him against the wall of the living room. He was taller than Christian and was clearly going to use that to his advantage. Christian shuddered when Clint nipped his neck sharply before dragging his tongue over the abused skin slowly. If spontaneous human combustion was truly a thing, it might just happen to Christian today.

He tried to arch into Clint, whining when he was restrained. Dammit. Clint was clearly in command here and he was going to have to just let whatever would happen, happen. Damn his impatience.

\--

Clint couldn't help chuckling against the skin of Christian's neck when he got a whine out of him for holding him back. The younger man had been a goddamned tease the last few days and he was going to get his own back now that the kids weren't in the house. He was also trying to be mindful of the advice he had received from his physician and not go full throttle.

"Patience, baby." He murmured, managing to steer Christian down the hall and into what was slowly becoming their room and not just his. He liked that, liked sharing his space with the person he was genuinely coming to love.

"Not my strong suit." Christian managed and Clint released him, pressing on his shoulders so he'd sit down on the bed.

"Oh I noticed." Clint agreed, taking a step back before leisurely tugging the t-shirt he had on over his head. He'd noticed Christian staring at him the few times he'd forgone wearing something that covered his chest and figured he might as well give him a bit of a show.

Christian's eyes were locked on him and the young man was practically twitching. Clint let the shirt slip from his fingers, raising a knowing eyebrow.

"You are so not fair." Christian breathed and Clint smirked, shrugging.

"Never claimed I was. Just remember this the next time you feel like being a troll. Because I will get you back and I'll get you better than you got me."

Clint was competitive and if Christian was going to challenge him, he was going to do his best to deliver.

Seating himself on the bed, Clint immediately had Christian in his lap, trying to get close, He wasn't going to let him have it so easily and pushed him off, getting a huff and dramatic groan in return.

"I regret teasing you. Are you happy now?" Christian asked hopefully.

"I am, but you're still not getting what you want yet." Clint said, chuckling lowly. "Lay back and close your eyes."

Eyeing him, Christian did and even made a show of putting his hands over his eyes which made Clint sigh.

He moved as stealthily as he could, hiking up Christian's shirt before leaning down to leave a trail of bites along his torso. His hands were smoothing along his sides, taking his sweet time about it.

"Cliiiiiint." Christian whimpered, squirming but still keeping his eyes covered. The older man didn't answer verbally, just continuing with his slow torture until he decided that enough was enough, moving back far enough to help Christian get undressed, which didn't take much urging on his part. Christian was young and eager and Clint knew it wouldn't take much to convince him.


End file.
